Australia 551 for 6 dec and 107 for 5 beat England 270 and 387 by five wickets
Scorecard

Australia moved within spitting distance of the first Ashes whitewash for 82 years with victory at Melbourne, but England did themselves proud in a pulsating mini-session. Australia eventually limped over the finishing line at 107 for 5, but only after Andy Caddick (3 for 51) and Steve Harmison (2 for 43), who bowled unchanged throughout the innings, had given their batsmen the hurry-up for the first time in the series.

The highlight of a feverish passage of play was an extraordinary over from Harmison, his seventh. With Australia 65 for 3, Steve Waugh was caught behind only for nobody to appeal, and then, off the very next delivery, he was caught at short extra cover off a no-ball.

There was free entry to the MCG in the morning, just as there had been exactly 20 years ago when England won a classic by three runs. They never threatened quite such a tight finish here, but Harmison and Caddick, with a terrific, passionate display of bowling, ruffled a few feathers on a very flat wicket. Hardly a ball pitched in Australia's half of the pitch all morning.

The drama started with the very first ball of the day, when Matthew Hayden hoicked Caddick to the substitute Alex Tudor at deep square leg (8 for 1). Ricky Ponting came to the crease and played dreamily, taking 14 off one over from Caddick, including the easiest of pulls for six. It continued an incredible head-to-head record: Caddick has dismissed Ponting once in Tests at a cost of 245 runs.

Ponting had swaggered to 30 off 35 balls when he choked a pull off Harmison down the leg side (58 for 2), and three balls later Damien Martyn went for 0, feeling outside off and edging a catch behind.

Australia started to get the old fourth-innings jitters: Justin Langer was clonked on the helmet and then came that amazing over.

Waugh got off the mark with an inside-edge past James Foster's despairing dive, and then appeared to play and miss at a short delivery, but replays showed a clear edge to Foster, who as he took the ball looked towards his slips for guidance, and - when nobody reacted – offered only the lamest, latest of appeals. He won't make the same mistake next time.

The wrong appeared to have been righted when Waugh slammed the next ball straight to Nasser Hussain at short extra cover. But as England celebrated manically, Hussain wagging his fingers furiously in all directions, they realised Dave Orchard's arm had gone up to signal a no-ball.

It was a very close call, and Waugh was halfway off the pitch when he realised what had happened. He strutted back to the crease, chewed his gum a few times, and spanked the next ball through mid-off for four. However, Waugh continued to play quite horribly - he blamed it on a migraine - and at one point backed away to Harmison like Peter Such against Merv Hughes. He eventually fell to Caddick for 14, shouldering a lifter to second slip where Mark Butcher took a very good catch (83 for 4).

Caddick had another when Langer (24) was given lbw by Russell Tiffin, though the ball clearly pitched outside leg stump (90 for 5). Tiffin, not for the first time in the match, had been caught up in the maelstrom, and even though only 17 were needed, there was the merest hint of one of the greatest victories in cricket history. But Martin Love applied the balm - 6 not outs don't come a lot better - and he and Adam Gilchrist took Australia home.

So, despite all the hullabaloo, Australia won their fifth consecutive Ashes Test – the first time they have done so for 52 years. Now, at Sydney in three days' time, comes a shot at an even greater record. There has only been one whitewash in Ashes history, but for all England's gallantry here, not many people would bet against a second now.

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Rob Smyth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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